Magnet cutoff valve



NOV. 27, 1951 R V, ALLEN 2,576,168

MAGNET CUTOFF VALVE Filed April 25, 195o BY An dwmq,

Patented Nov. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE',

awaits MGNEI" CUTOFF VALVE` Ruiusv. Allen, Ghini, Calif- ApplicationApril Z5, 1950, Serial No. 158,004 4, claims. CL iev- 139) Thisinvention relates to new and useful im.- provements nvalves and the'`primaryl object of the present invention is to provide-a cut-off valvefor the fuel line of a vehicle that is actuated to its open position asa key operatedY` lock' or push lock mounted on the vehicle is actuatedon upon the insertion of the proper' key into the lock.

Another very important object of the present invention is to provide acut-off valve for the fuel line or conduit of a vehicle involving asliding magnet and a ball valve that is attracted to the magnet topermit fuel to flowl through the conduit when the magnet is moved' overthe ball valve.

AA further important object` of` the present invention is to provide amagnetr cut-oli?` valve of the aforementioned character wherein themagnet is connected to the sliding keyoperated inner barrel of a lockmechanism mounted on a concealed portion of a vehicle so that as theinner barrel is moved upon the insertion of a proper key therein, themagnet will be moved over` the ball valve to urge the ball valve to itsopen position.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a cut-offvalve that is extremely small and compact in construction, strong andreliable in use, simple and practical in structure, inexpensive tomanufacture, one that is quickly and readily applied to or removed fromthe fuel line of a vehicle, and otherwise well adapted for the purposefor which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to theJ accompanying drawings forming part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the present inventionand showing the same applied to the fuel line and a locking mechanism ofa vehicle;

Figure 2 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical sectional view of thepresent invention;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing the magnet moved toattract the ball valve thereto; and,

Figure 4. is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view takensubstantially on the plane of section line 4--4 Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, Wherein for the purpose ofillustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the numeral IU represents a tubular member or conduit that isinterposed in and which forms a part of: a fuel line or'supply con? duitI2 of a vehicle fuel system. The conduit I;I)-' is provided withV anupstanding, hollow, lateral: projection I4 whose inner open end com;-municates with the interior of the conduit; III,

The inner wall' ofthe conduit I 0 isprovided with longitudinally spacedribs or rings,v I6 and I8 forming valve seats against which a ball valve20, of magnetically attracted material, is selectively engaged. Theseats or rings I6; and i8 are so located as to permit the b allY valve2l1 to rise inthe hollow projection I4 as shown in Figure- 3.

Rigidly attached to or forming an integral part 0f the projection I4, isan elongated casing 22 that. parallels the conduit III. The projectionI4. is attached to the casing 22 adjacent one end `0f the casing and theother end of the casing` is braced to the conduit I0 by a suitablebracket 24` A magnet 26 is slidably received in thecasing 22. and ismovable away from or over the projection I4, when the magnet 26 is movedover the projection I4, the valve 20 will be urged toward the magnet andhence the valve will rise in the projection I4, it being understood thatthe magnet is of sufficient strength to attract the ball valve eventhough the upper end of the projection I4 is closed to prevent theentrance of fuel into the casing 22.

The valve structure aforementioned is associated with the lockingmechanism 28. This locking mechanism is well known and consists o1' anouter barrel 30 that is mounted on a suitable, preferably concealedportion of the vehicle 32 and a spring urged inner barrel 34 that isurged from one end of the outer barrel upon the insertion and turning ofa proper key 36 in the inner barrel 34.

The casing 26 is substantially co-axial with the barrels 30 and 34, asshown in Figure 1, and the barrel 30 is connected to the casing 26 by aguide tube 38 that slidably receives a relatively rigid rod 40. The rod4|] is termnately attached to the magnet 26 and the inner barrel 34 sothat as the inner barrel is moved into the outer barrel against actionof the spring (not shown) acting on the inner barrel, the magnet 26 willbe urged away from the projection I4 and the valve will drop into theconduit I0 to prevent fuel from owing through the conduit I 0 (seeFigure 2), whereas a movement of the barrel 34 from the barrel 3l! bythe insertion of the key 36 into the barrel 34, will move the magnet 26over the projection I4 and the valve 20 will rise in the projection I4to permit fuel to flow through the conduit I0 (see Figure 3).

The lock mechanism is installed at any desired place on the vehicle sothat it will be partially or entirely hidden from the glance of 'thecasual observer, since the main purpose of the invention is to providesecurity against theft of the vehicle. Also, the lock mechanism may bereplaced by a push and pull button that is attached to the rod 40.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A cut-off valve comprising a conduit having a lateral projection, acasing paralleling said conduit and mounted on said projection, valveseats within said conduit, a valve member within the conduit andnormally seated against onel of. said seats, said projection beinghollow to receive said valve member, said valve member being of vmagnetically attracted material, and a magnet slidably received in saidcasing and movable to a position over said projection to attract thevalve m'ember'and' move the valve member into the projection and out ofthe conduit.

2. A valve structure comprising a conduit having a valve seat therein, avalve member located within the conduit and seated against the valveseat to prevent the flow of iiuid through the con duit, said conduitalso having a hollow lateral projection for receiving the valve memberto permit iiuid to iiow through the conduit, said valve member being ofmagnetically attracted material, and a magnet slidable to a positionoverlying said projection to urge the valve into the projection and inits open position.

j 3. In `combination with a key operated locking mechanism including anouter barrel and an inner barrel that is moved longitudinally from theouter barrel upon the insertion of a proper key in the inner barrel, acut-off valve comprising a conduit having a valve seat therein, a valveAmember normally Vseated against said seat, said conduit having a hollowlateral projection for receiving said valve member, and means actuatedby the inner barrel, during the movement of the inner barrel from theouter barrel, for urging the valve member into the projection, saidmeans including a magnet and a pull line terminally attached to saidmagnet and said inner barrel, said valve member being of magneticallyattracted material to be attracted to the magnet.

4. In aivehicle having a key operated locking mechanism including aninner barrel and an outer barrel wherein the inner barrel is springurged from one end of the outer barrel upon insertion of a proper key inthe inner barrel and a fuel conduit, a cut-off valve for the conduitcomprising a casing mounted on the conduit, a magnet slidably receivedin the casing and connected to the inner barrel for movement with theinner barrel relative to the outer barrel, said conduit having a hollowlateral projection attached to said casing adjacent one end of thecasingfa valve seat in the conduit, and a magnetically attracted ballvalve within the conduit and normally seated against said seat, saidvalve being movable into the hollow projection upon sliding of themagnet over the'projection in response to movement o the inner barrelfrom the outer barrel.

' A RUFUS V. ALLEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS A Date

